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Landlords call the shots in Purnia
PURNIA: They call it the land of landlords. And rightly so. Stories of massive wealth and immense power abound in Purnia division of Bihar. The boundary wall of a landlord's house surrounded 400 acres of land; estates had their own private planes; politically they called the shots... Madhuri Singh, daughter of Mol Babu, arguably the biggest landlord of Bihar who reportedly owned over 18,000 acres of land in the region, was the MP of Purnia twice.
Dinesh Singh of erstwhile Kursela estate was a powerful politician for over two decades who also became a minister in the state. Acharya Vinoba Bhave got the largest chunk of land as donation from this region during his Bhoodan movement. "The land might have been donated, but the lords remain," remarked Tarak Baldami, a local social activist. The present Purnia MP, Uday Singh, is the son of Madhuri Singh. Nikhil Choudhary, the MP from neighbouring Katihar, belongs to a family which owns over 600 acres. Moidur Rehman, the Congress candidate from adjacent Araria, too belongs to a family of landlords. The JD(U) candidate from Rupauli segment in Purnia, Jaikishun Mandal, is known not only as a "bahubali" but also as a big landowner. "My family lost 14,000 acres of land. But not a single court case was filed. Even today when I go to the places where our land has been distributed, the new owners call me "malik" though they know that I no longer control their lives. They even vote for me," said Uday Singh, BJP MP from Purnia. He stressed his election as an MP has nothing to do with his family background. By Rajesh Kumar, Section News Posted on Wed Oct 26, 2005 at 08:40:39 PM EST
"Instead, it's a political recognition given to me by the people of the region," he added. Uday's family still spawns awe among the local inhabitants. Many of the family members rose to crack UPSC and become bureaucrats. "The family wields considerable political influence in Purnia," remarked RJD supporter Kishore Kumar Yadav.
The power, wealth and influence commanded by the former landlords is a part of folklore in this region. "Most ex-landlords joined political parties and their fortunes changed in accordance with the party they joined," said S K Singh, a retired Zila School teacher. Needless to say, the transfer of land from the landlords has been anything but smooth. It has been marred by violence and litigations. If the slain CPM MLA Ajit Sarkar was able to win four times in a row, it was because he spearheaded a land struggle in this region. The CPM claims it lost 40-odd cadres in this land struggle. "Every political party, including BJP, RJD and Congress, have patronised these landlords to keep them alive and kicking -- socially and politically," said local CPM leader Arun Mishra. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1275046,curpg-2.cms
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